'DYD' campaign raises $22K for charities
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Aug 23, 2023
To conclude its first-ever Double Your Donation campaign, the Huntingdon County Foundation distributed over $22,000 in funds Monday afternoon to nine local charities. Taking part in the check presentation are, from the left: Bonnie Watkins, Southern Huntingdon Food Pantry; Samantha Ochs, Mount Union Food Pantry/Center for Community Action; Rachael Walters, Huntingdon House; MacKenzie Huntsman, Huntingdon County United Way; Michele Rupert and Amy Yocum, Hometown Hearts Inc.; Tom Kepple, Huntingdon Area Habitat for Humanity; Jean Feagley, Huntingdon Area Food Pantry; Lawrence Newton, Huntingdon County Foundation chairman; John Eastman, foundation treasurer; and Wayne Hearn, foundation board member.
Photo by REBECCA BERDAR
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Nine local charities that feed, house and provide other essential services to the residents of Huntingdon County received over $20,000 from a new gift-matching program launched this year by the Huntingdon County Foundation.
Monday afternoon, foundation board members distributed checks totaling $22,443 in donations, representing over 70 contributors to the inaugural Double Your Donation campaign. “DYD” kicked off May 1 and collected donations through July 15.
Huntingdon County Foundation Chairman Lawrence Newton said the organization is pleased that, by working with the community at large, the foundation was able to “give over $22,000 back to our non-profits.”
representatives from the nine charities gathered for the check presentation at the new Penn Street headquarters of the Huntingdon Area Food Pantry, one of the organizations benefiting from the DYD campaign.
Huntingdon Foundation Treasurer John Eastman said the DYD idea was inspired by similar matching programs adopted by a number of fundraising organizations.
“We’re just thrilled” Eastman said when asked about the outcome of the first-ever campaign. “It far exceeded our expectations.”
Eastman said the board selected the nine 501c3 charities and turned to the foundation’s David Goodman and William Alexander memorial funds for seed money.
With support from 77 donors, the foundation succeeded in meeting — then exceeding — its goal of doubling the funds it would typically have available for charitable donations, Eastman said.
“Our foundation board was excited and overwhelmed by the over $11,000 in donations directed by community members to the enrolled non-profits,” Eastman said.
Without community support, the foundation’s mission to support non-profit agencies “who are doing good in our community everyday” would not have been possible, Eastman said.
In light of the success of DYD, Eastman said the program will likely return next year.
The nine charities benefiting from the first-ever DYD campaign are the Huntingdon Area Food Pantry, Mount Union Food Pantry, Southern Huntingdon Food Pantry, Huntingdon Area Habitat for Humanity, Hometown Hearts Inc., Salvation Army, Huntingdon County United Way, Huntingdon House and the Huntingdon Forum of Churches.
The foundation agreed to provide a match of up to $250 per contribution to the DYD campaign.
The Huntingdon County Foundation was established in 2009 to support Huntingdon County’s non-profit organizations with an emphasis on leadership development and education.
Visit www.huntingdonchamber.com/community-foundation for more information on the Huntingdon County Foundation.
